Method and device for detecting a given material in an object using electromagnetic rays

ABSTRACT

A method for the detection of a specific material in an object ( 1 ), especially in a piece of luggage, using electromagnetic beams, whereby the intensities of non-absorbed beams from at least three beam planes ( 5.1 - 5.2 ) in corresponding detector arrays ( 4.1 - 4.5 ) are measured and evaluated, using the following steps according to the invention:  
     1. generating an at least two-dimensional picture of the object ( 1 ) from the measured intensity values;  
     2. selecting one of the spatial regions displayed in the picture as a basis of the value of a material value, which is determined from intensity measurements, for examination;  
     3. determining at least one spatial-geometric value in the region to the examined from positional data of a two-dimensional picture and from intensity values using a stored value of a specific, absorption-influenced value of a suspected material.  
     4. determining, in addition, the corresponding spatial-geometric value solely from three-dimensional geometric values, which are determined from measured intensity values; and  
     5. comparing, directly or indirectly, values of the spatial-geometric values determined in steps 3 and 4, or values derived therefrom, in order to determine if the suspected material is actually present.

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The invention relates to a method and a device for detecting a specific material in an object, especially in a piece of luggage, using electromagnetic beams, whereby the intensities of non-absorbed beams from at least three beam planes in corresponding detector arrays are measured and evaluated.

[0002] In conventional methods and devices for the inspection of objects, e.g., security screening of luggage at airports, the object is transported by electromagnetic rays, which radiate from stationary radiation sources. The intensities of the non-absorbed beams are measured and evaluated by the corresponding detector arrays assigned to the radiation sources. Generally, x-rays are used for the inspection.

CONVENTIONAL ART

[0003] U.S. Pat. No. 6,088,423-A discloses a method whereby three stationary radiation sources give forth x-rays in three planes parallel to one another, which run vertically to the travel direction. From the data of the three corresponding detector arrays, a computer determines possible contours of the articles in the object and calculates for each article an estimated effective atomic number Z_(eff) and an estimated density. In this manner, the intensities of two energy ranges are evaluated, via the known dual-energy-method.

EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION

[0004] It is an object of the invention to provide a method for detection of materials in an object, especially in a piece of luggage, which offers the highest possible security in the detection of materials while keeping the device used as simple as possible and, specifically, keeping the number of radiation sources as low as possible.

[0005] A further object is to provide a device for executing a method of this invention.

[0006] The first object is accomplished with the features of claim 1, the second object is achieved with the features of claim 13.

[0007] Conventional computer tomographs use x-ray sources moving around the object and corresponding detectors, in order to create a multitude of images from which the object is reconstructed three-dimensionally with good resolution. With less than 10 views, which are produced with an equivalent number of stationary radiation sources, a complex object is incomplete, because of mathematical reasons, and cannot be reconstructed with sufficient resolution. Therefore, the method of this invention extracts partial information from particular regions, which are selected from individual views and are analyzed further. In the evaluation, to begin with, a spatial geometric value in the area to be examined is determined from positional data data of a 2-dimensional picture and from intensity values using a predetermined value of a specific, absorption-influenced value of a suspected material. In addition, the corresponding spatial-geometric value is calculated solely from 3-dimensional geometric values, which are determined from measured intensity values. Next, the values from both evaluations are directly or indirectly compared with one another, in order to determine whether or not the suspected material is indeed present.

[0008] The dependent claims contain preferred and especially further advantageous variations of the method of this invention:

[0009] The method of claim 2 compares both values of the spatial-geometric value indirectly with one another, whereby the value of a specific material is calculated and is subsequently compared with a predetermined value.

[0010] In the method of claim 3, the volume of the material in the region is determined from the area and the absorption thickness of the region. In order to calculate the absorption thickness from the measured intensity values, the predetermined value of the specific, absorption-influenced value of a suspected material, especially the predetermined density φ and/or the predetermined mass attenuation coefficient μ/φ is utilized. In a second evaluation, the volume of the material in a region is estimated using spatial positional data only. In a comparison, the values of the volumes or the values derived from a calculated volume value are compared with one another.

[0011] Claim 6 is for an especially advantageous method with an indirect comparison based on claim 3. Mass is determined by multiplying the volume, calculated from the area and the absorption thickness, with the stored density of a suspected material. The mass thus calculated is subsequently divided by the volume, which was derived solely from spatial positional data. The such calculated density value is compared with a stored density value.

[0012] A preferred method for approximation of the volume is to calculate the volume of a polyhedron encircling the region or located in the region to be examined (claim 7).

[0013] In the method of claim 8, the absorption thickness corresponding to the position of a 2-dimensional picture is determined by using a stored value of absorption-influenced value, especially the density φ and/or the mass attenuation coefficient μ/φ. To verify the evaluation results, the corresponding thickness is determined solely from spatial positional data.

[0014] In the particularly beneficial method of claim 11, the object is radiated in at least three separate beam planes, of which at least two are not parallel to one another. With only a few 2-dimensional pictures of the object, the to be examined spatial region can be better defined when the images are as independent from each other as possible, in other words, when they are not solely derived from parallel beam planes.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0015] The drawing illustrates the invention showing a schematic embodiment of a luggage inspection device:

[0016]FIG. 1 shows the principal layout of the device;

[0017]FIG. 2 is a front view of a device, which x-rays the object in three beam planes;

[0018]FIG. 3 is a side view that illustrates the array of the radiation sources and detectors of the device of FIG. 2;

[0019]FIG. 4 is the front view of a preferred embodiment, whereby the object is radiated in five beam planes; and

[0020]FIG. 5 is a side view of the array of the radiation sources and detectors of the device of FIG. 4.

MEANS OF PERFORMING THE INVENTION

[0021] The inspection device illustrated in the figures is used for security screening of objects 1, particularly pieces of luggage, as done at airports, whereby the articles 2 located in the pieces of luggage are screened for their security relevance.

[0022] Essential components of the device are stationary radiation sources 3.1-3.3 and corresponding detectors 4.1-4.5, from which the intensities of the non-absorbed beams are measured. The radiation sources 3.1-3.3 are positioned in such a way that the objects 1 are transilluminated in different directions to receive the greatest possible independent data. For that purpose, the radiation sources 3.1-3.3 are positioned in the travel direction of the objects 1, spaced one after the other and positioned on different sides of the radiation tunnel 6, through which the objects 1 are transported on a transport device, preferably a conveyor 7.

[0023] Beams are projected from at least three, preferably fan-shaped, beam planes 5.1-5.5 for the radiation of an object 1, each beam being aligned to a corresponding detector 4.1-4.5. Preferably, an object 1 is radiated in three separate beam planes 5.1-5.5, of which at least two are not parallel to one another. In the embodiment of FIG. 3, the beam planes 5.1, 5.3 are not parallel to beam plane 5.2; in the embodiment of FIG. 5 beam planes 5.1, 5.4, 5.5 are parallel to one another, the other two beam planes 5.2, 5.3 are inclined against each other as well as against beam planes 5.1, 5, 4, 5.5. At least one beam plane is preferably perpendicular to the transport direction of the objects 1. It is advantageous to produce two beam planes, which are inclined to one another, by masking the corresponding beams from a sole radiation source via a collimator 8. The detectors 4.1-4.5 each have detectors with a linear array, preferably L-shaped, so that all the beams passing through the object 1 are detected. The radiation sources 3.1-3.3 supply x-rays in an energy range up to a maximum of 140 keV. The detectors 4.1-4.5 contain dual detectors, which measure the intensities separately for high and low energies, for the so-called dual-energy-method.

[0024] Furthermore, the system provides an evaluator with a computer and a screen 9, which displays the generated pictures of the objects 1 and the articles 2 found therein, for additional visual inspection by an operator. In the computer, besides the evaluation software, there are stored values of at least one specific, absorption-influenced value of different materials, the presence of which is to be detected. Such materials are especially explosives, the presence of which is to be detected in the object 1.

[0025] In order to detect a particular material in an object 1, for example, an explosive, it is transported on the conveyor belt 7 through the different beam planes 5.1-5.5, wherein the intensities of the non-absorbed radiation beams are measured by the corresponding detector 4.1-4.5. To begin with, an at least two-dimensional picture of the object 1 is generated from the measured intensity values and stored in the computer for future processing. The picture is constructed of pixel values of a material value, which are derived from the intensities of the corresponding detectors. The preferred procedure is to determine the value of the effective atomic number Z_(eff) for each picture point, which is ascertained by the known dual-energy method, whereby both intensity values of the high and low energy spectrum are utilized. The ascertained value can be displayed on the screen 9 as an assigned gray or color value.

[0026] Next, those areas in the picture are determined where the value of the material value, in the example the value of Z_(eff), are in an interesting area, for example, in the value range for explosives. This area of the picture displays an image of a spatial region and thus, an article 2 within the object 1, and is selected out for further examination.

[0027] In the examination, at least one spatial-geometric value in the area to be examined is determined from positional data of a two-dimensional picture and from intensity values, using a stored value of a specific, absorption-influenced value of a suspected material. Preferably, the values of the density φ and/or the mass attenuation coefficient μ/φ of the materials to be detected are stored and used. Additionally, the corresponding spatial-geometric value is determined solely from three-dimensional values, which are determined from the measured intensity values. To determine the spatial-geometric values as accurately as possible, in the preferred embodiments of FIGS. 4 and 5, five different two-dimensional pictures are generated, from which the corresponding three-dimensional values are calculated. Finally, the two determined values of the spatial-geometric value or from values derived from the value of the spatial-geometric value are directly or indirectly compared with one another to determine if the suspected material is actually present.

[0028] A preferred spatial-geometric value is the volume of the material in the spatial area to be tested. The volume is determined two different ways: in the first determination, the area of the two-dimensional picture of the area to be examined is calculated first. Next, the absorption thickness of the spatial area is determined from the intensity values of the radiation that passed through the area. In order to determine the absorption thickness, a stored value of a specific, absorption-influenced value of a suspected material is retrieved, in particular the density φ and/or the mass attenuation coefficient μ/φ. The result is the volume of the material in the region as a product of the area and the absorption thickness.

[0029] In an additional step, the approximate volume of the material in the region is determined from spatial positional data, which can be exclusively determined from the intensity values of at least three detector arrays. In a preferred method, the volume of a polyhedron is calculated, which is situated in the region or encases the region, which are determined as intensity values when transporting the object 1 through at least three beam planes.

[0030] To check if the suspected material is actually present, in a variation, the values of the volumes or the values of the calculated volume value are subsequently compared directly to one another, which have been determined according to both methods. Preferably, for comparing purposes, in both methods the mass of the materials in the region to be examined is determined as the product of the volume and the stored density. This has the benefit that in step 1 a minimal mass can be determined, which is necessary for the screening in the second step.

[0031] A preferred way of an indirect comparison of the volumes resulting from the two methods is such that the volume value calculated in step 1, using the absorption thickness, is multiplied with the stored density value φ of the suspected material in order to determine the mass of the material in the area to be examined. From the mass thus determined, a density value is determined by dividing the volume value ascertained solely from positional data arrived at through the second method and is then compared with a stored density value. This method, too, has the benefit that in a first step a mass is calculated from which a minimal value for the continuation of the examination process can be ascertained.

[0032] In a case where the suspected material is present, the comparison values coincide sufficiently exactly in both the direct and the indirect method.

[0033] Alternatively to the determination of the volume, the absorption thickness of the area can also be determined as a geometric value, whereby the absorption thickness assigned to a position in a two-dimensional picture using a stored value of the specific, absorption-influenced value of a suspected material is determined. Preferably, as in the previously described volume determination, values of the density φ and/or the mass attenuation coefficient μ/φ of the materials to be detected are stored. The absorption thickness is preferably calculated under the assumption that the material in the area has a certain density.

[0034] Furthermore, the absorption thickness assigned to this point is determined solely from spatial positional data, which is determined through a three-dimensional analysis of at least three two-dimensional pictures from various beam planes 5.1-5.5. Finally, the two both of the determined thicknesses, or values derived therefrom, for example, the densities or the masses, are compared with one another. If the suspected material is present, both values are sufficiently exactly the same. 

1. Method for detecting a specific material in an object (1), especially in a piece of luggage, using electromagnetic beams, whereby the intensities of non-absorbed beams from at least three beam planes (5.1-5.2) in corresponding detector arrays (4.1-4.5) are measured and evaluated, using the following method steps:
 1. generating an at least two-dimensional picture of the object (1) from the measured intensity values;
 2. selecting one of the spatial regions displayed in the picture as a basis of the value of a material value, which is determined from intensity measurements, for examination;
 3. determining at least one spatial-geometric value in the region to the examined from positional data of a two-dimensional picture and from intensity values using a stored value of a specific, absorption-influenced value of a suspected material.
 4. determining, in addition, the corresponding spatial-geometric value solely from three-dimensional geometric values, which are determined from measured intensity values;
 5. comparing, directly or indirectly, values of the spatial-geometric values determined in steps 3 and 4, or values derived therefrom, in order to determine if the suspected material is actually present.
 2. The method of claim 1, characterized in that an indirect comparison is executed in such a way that by using both values of the spatial-geometric values of steps 3 and 4, the value of a specific material value is calculated, which subsequently is compared with a stored value.
 3. The method of claim 1 or 2, characterized in that in step 3, the area of the image of the region to be examined is calculated, and the volume of the material in the region of the area and the absorption thickness of the region is subsequently determined as a spatial-geometric value, whereby the absorption thickness is determined from measured intensity values and the stored value of the specific, absorption-influenced value of a suspected material; in step 4, the approximate volume of the material of the region is determined from spatial positional data, which are determined from intensity values of at least three detector arrays (4.1-4.5).
 4. The method of claim 3, characterized in that in step 5, the values of the volume or the values of a value calculated with a volume are compared with one another.
 5. The method of claim 4, characterized in that the mass values are compared with one another, which were calculated through multiplying the volume values with the density value, which was stored or determined from the stored value.
 6. The method of claim 3, characterized in that in step 3, as a final step, the mass of the material in the region is calculated with the volume of the material and the stored density, and in step 5, for an indirect comparison, the density of the mass determined in step 3 and the volume determined in step 4 is calculated and compared with the stored density value.
 7. The method of one of claims 3-6, characterized in that for the approximation of the volume in step 4 the volume of a Polyhedron, either located in the region or encompassing the region, is calculated from positional data, which is derived from intensity values of at least three detector arrays.
 8. The method of claim 1, characterized in that in step 3, an absorption thickness of the region corresponding to a position of the two-dimensional picture, utilizing a stored value of the specific, the absorption-influenced value of a suspected material is determined; in step 4, the corresponding thickness of the region is determined from spatial positional data, which was derived solely from intensity values of at least 3 detector arrays (4.1-4.5); and in step 5, the two determined thicknesses, or values derived therefrom, are compared to one another.
 9. The method of one of claims 1-7, characterized in that the material value in the selection in step 2 is based on is the effective atomic number Z_(eff).
 10. The method of one of claims 1-9, characterized in that the stored material-specific, absorption-influenced value in step 3 is density φ and/or mass attenuation coefficient μ/φ.
 11. The method of one of claims 1-10, characterized in that the object (1) is radiated in at least three separate beam planes (5.1-5.5), at least two of which are not parallel to one another.
 12. The method of claim 11, characterized in that the object (1) is transported through the beam planes (5.1-5.5) for radiation.
 13. A device for the application of one of the methods of one of claims 1-12, comprising a transport means (7) moving through a radiation tunnel (6) and radiation sources (3.1-3.3) positioned around the transport means, said radiation sources emitting beams in at least three beam planes (5.1-5.5) each aligned with a corresponding detector (4.1-4.5), characterized in that at least two of the beam planes (5.1-5.5) are not parallel with one another. 